Fargesia as informal hedge in front garden

I'm very new to gardening, but very keen so apologise if I'm asking obvious question!

I have planted 2 fargesias in a very small sunny front of house area, in a rocky clay soil (I did add lots of compost when planting), in an effort to create an informal hedge. They're ok, but not really thriving. The weeds surrounding them are out of control but manual weeding in such thick clay is very difficult.

I have a few questions...

- will they survive in clay?
- giving that manual weeding isn't working, and I can't use weedkiller so close to them, what are my other options? Would cutting the weeds down to stalks help at all?
- are the weeds hindering their growth? I thought all bamboo was vigorous enough to crowd out other plants - is Fargesia more sensitive? What is a normal rate of growth for them?
- what type of feed would they most like and how often? The space is small, surrounded on all sides by brick and paving, so I'm not worried about them being invasive.

Be kind to a newbie!

 

Hi Newtoallthis and welcome to the forum.

I must admit that I know nothing about bamboos, but I did have a weak moment a couple of years ago and bought a Fargesia murielae as an impulse buy. It is planted out in my front garden in heavy clay, in full sun. The information on them says it would prefer part shade to full shade, but even so it seems to be very happy, but in no rush to grow tall or fat. Its only about three feet high now - but then, without finding the label again, I am not sure if this was a low growing cultivar (ie variety bred by man) or not.

Its probably worth cutting the weeds back as much as you can, but I doubt that they will have much impact.

My only knowledge is what I have learn't in the last ten minutes Googling the subject! I came across this - though I think it refers gererally to all bamboos. I also found this http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/fargesiabamboos.html

Planting and care

Before planting, it is very desirable to incorporate organic matter such as peat, leaf mould or well rotted compost into the soil. Similar material can be used as a surface mulch. After removing the pot, position the plant with about one inch of soil covering the original root-ball and firm the soil around it.

A light topdressing of general fertiliser can be applied thinly over the soil surface in spring and again during summer, avoiding contact with the foliage. Water after planting and also regularly during spring and summer while the plants are taking root. The foliage cannot wilt, but if the leaves are seen to be curling inwards, this is a sign that watering is urgently needed.

Until the plants are fully established, they are vulnerable to damage by keen frosts, strong wind or high temperatures and temporary protection by means of fleece or other permeable material may be desirable if these conditions occur.

The appearance of well established plants may benefit from thinning a proportion of the canes so that the best stems can be more effectively displayed - this is especially the case when a grove is required rather than clumps. Removal of some lower branches will further enhance visibility of the stems and may also result in thicker canes being produced in future years. Some of the more vigorous species can be a useful source of garden canes.

Woo. - thats interesting that your source says sun loving, drought tolerant, bamboo - that's exactly what mine is getting!

 

Thank you wiseoldowl and PeterS. I feel reassured now that I haven't chosen the wrong plant, and just need to be patient. I didn't know about the "man bred" low growing cultivar stuff, but that makes sense - I got them from crocus.co.uk. I've bought plants from them before and they've all been healthy and fine, but maybe not the quickest growers for that reason.

So I'll keep at the weeds for aesthetic reasons at least, and be patient about their growth rate - they definitely look healthy and green with no leaves curling and little browning despite the mad heat in London at the moment. I'll have a think about how to fill in the gaps in the border with something else that's tall and fast growing, perennial or annual, to keep the weeds in check (and likes clay!). Any ideas welcome! Maybe some wild flowers? Most our neighbours have (sorry neighbours!) boring shrubby hedges, so a bit of colour might be welcome on the street.

 

Hi Newtoallthis. Just a bit of explanation on plant names - which I certainly didn't understand when I started. A Latin name might be Salvia patens 'Pink Ice'. The first part Salvia is the genus, which refers to a large group of plants that are similar botanically - but which will include many different species. The second part is the species. A species is a distinctive plant that occurs naturally in the wild. Plants of the same species will breed easily with another, but will rarely breed with another species of the same Genus. And they cannot breed with another genus.

The last part in quotes is the cultivar name. These are plants that have been selectively bred by nursery men. For instance all dogs are of the same species, but breeders have produced a wide range of cultivars from Dashunds to Great Danes, all of which are capable of interbreeding. By contrast there is a much more limited range of cat cultivars.

So when you buy a plant. The two part Latin name is a very good guide to what you have bought, but sometimes there can be cultivars which could be tall or short or different colours etc. Some popular plants have been intensively bred, for instance there are over 40,000 different Dahlia cultivars. But for many plants there are few or no cultivars.

I have had a Google and there are a few Fargesia murielae cultivars - with name such as Simba, Jumbo and Bimbo etc. Sometimes the cheaper a plant is, the less likely you are to be told the cultivar.

 

Hi Newtoallthis!

We have over 60 varieties of bamboo in the garden including many species of Fargesia so I hope I can help a bit on this one.

There are a lot of misconceptions about bamboos, and the one you hear most often is that they are invasive. Some bamboos do have very long running rhizomes which can pop up at least 20 feet from the main plant and others can spread at a rapid rate, but there are literally thousands of species of bamboo and most of them don't behave anything like this at all.

It would be handy to know which Fargesia you have but I would imagine it's almost certainly F. nitida, with purple/black canes and very fine, narrow leaves or F. murieliae, which is bigger and more coarse in all of it's parts and is a kind of generic "green bamboo". In any case all Fargesia in cultivation are very tightly clump-forming, and cannot really be invasive however well they are growing.

A site in full sun will be fine for them but (again, despite their reputation) bamboos often need additional care and attention to allow them to establish themselves and form a good root system. Until and unless they do this they won't produce much in the way of top growth, and it will take them longer to establish (i.e. a few years at least) under less than ideal soil conditions.

In the long run they will easily out compete the weeds and help you by both creating the screening/hedge that you are after as well as more or less eliminating the weeds, but you will need to give them some help to get there.

to answer your specific questions.....

- will they survive in clay?
Yes, Clay is very rich in nutrients and their tough rhizomes can eventually get through the soil and extract these quite well, but in very poor/rocky soil that you describe it will take them longer to establish.

- giving that manual weeding isn't working, and I can't use weedkiller so close to them, what are my other options? Would cutting the weeds down to stalks help at all?
Cutting the weeds down to their base won't make any difference, it's the root systems of the weeds that are competing with the bamboos (for food and water) and it is they that you need to try to get rid of. You possibly could use a Gylphosate based weedkiller with extreme care (because it will of course kill the bamboos too should any spray drift onto them) but in a smaller area smothering would probably be a better bet. You can buy "weed suppressing membrane" from most garden centres but covering the soil with cardboard/old carpet/black plastic, (anything to prevent light getting to it) will do the trick at least as well. Once the weeds have subsided you can then apply a thick mulch (chipped bark would be ideal) to reduce re-occurrence of weeds, if necessary on top of whatever you've used to smother them.

- are the weeds hindering their growth? I thought all bamboo was vigorous enough to crowd out other plants - is Fargesia more sensitive? What is a normal rate of growth for them?
The weeds won't help (see above) but the soil is an important issue too. Growth rate is entirely dependent on conditions. In the poorest conditions they won't grow at all, in the best they will rapidly bulk up to produce good, thick canes.

- what type of feed would they most like and how often? The space is small, surrounded on all sides by brick and paving, so I'm not worried about them being invasive.
Liquid feeding in dry, clay soil won't do much good as the nutrients will almost immediately drain away. What you need to do is both feed the plant and improve the quality of the soil, especially it's ability to retain nutrients.

The way to do this is to apply as much really rich organic matter as a mulch/top-dressing as you can. Don't bother with potting compost, it's neither nutrient rich or open enough to have any long-term effect, you need something much bulkier. Ideally you want at least 6 inches depth (more if there's room!) of something like well rotted farmyard manure (also often available at garden centres) or coarse garden compost. Composted bark is another option, though nowhere near as nutrient rich as the others. You can also apply or mix in a slow release fertiliser, again on the top of the plants. Bonemeal is a good option or a granular all-in-one type fertiliser. You can mulch them like this twice a year.

Finally keep the plants really well watered, particularly during this incredibly dry spell.

Good luck :thumb:

 

Thank you Palmatum. They are Fargesia Murelia and with lots and lots of watering and a bonemeal feed, they are doing very well now. Slow growing, but healthy. Pulling up the weeds in bunches when high enough and the soil is dry (I'm actually not certain all of them are proper weeds, maybe rather lost plants from previous owners of the house) is working too. I got a great tip on the web about pouring boiling water on persistent ones which works a treat! Cheers again for your advice.